How to Win Investors: The Brutal Truth About Raising Capital | Elizabeth Yin | E93

After quitting her job at Google, Elizabeth Yin took a bold leap into entrepreneurship by founding LaunchBit, an adtech company. Despite facing challenges with fundraising and customer acquisition, LaunchBit was acquired. Drawing on these experiences, Elizabeth joined 500 Startups, where she invested in early-stage companies. As co-founder of Hustle Fund, she now backs startups focused on speed and execution. In this episode, Elizabeth joins Ilana to share the challenges of starting a business, how she evaluates founders to invest in, and the realities of fundraising in the competitive world of venture capital.

Elizabeth Yin is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups. She has reviewed over 20,000 startup pitches and assisted numerous portfolio founders in raising hundreds of millions of dollars.

In this episode, Ilana and Elizabeth will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction 

(01:39) Falling in Love with Startups in High School

(05:32) Adapting to Global Work Cultures

(07:25) Leaving Google to Launch Her Startup

(13:08) The Challenges of Starting a Business

(16:28) How Mentors Shaped Her Startup Journey

(18:15) How to Approach Mergers and Acquisitions

(21:03) Key Lessons From Investing in 200+ Startups

(29:41) Fundraising Realities and Strategies

(33:36) The Mission Behind Hustle Fund

(35:23) Navigating Stereotypes and Rejection

(41:13) How to Decide Whether to Raise Capital

(45:16) Handling Identity Shifts as an Entrepreneur

(51:14) Building a Network Through Angel Investing

Elizabeth Yin is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups. She founded LaunchBit, an adtech company acquired in 2014, and was a partner at 500 Startups, where she invested in seed-stage companies. Elizabeth has reviewed over 20,000 startup pitches and assisted numerous portfolio founders in raising hundreds of millions of dollars.

Connect with Elizabeth:

Elizabeth’s Website: elizabethyin.com 

Elizabeth’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elizabethyin/ 

Resources Mentioned:

Hustle Fund’s Website: hustlefund.vc/ 

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